This invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to sealed electrical connectors having axially keyed components for positioning and retaining wires and contacts in a fixed position.
Connectors exist today that are mountable to the ends of various types of coaxial cables. In certain applications, the cables carry one or more differential signals. For instance, quad cables are used for conveying high-speed data communications. The quad cables include one pair of transmit lines and one pair of receive lines, all of which are twisted in a helix to maintain a desired orientation with respect to one another. When a connector is attached to a quad cable, it is preferable to maintain the transmit and receive lines in a fixed geometry. The transmit and receive lines are connected to transmit and receive contacts which are located in a particular relation to one another within the connector. In the event that the spacing between, or overall geometry of, the transmit and receive lines and/or contacts is disturbed from a preferred configuration, particular receive and/or transmit lines begin to interact electromagnetically with one another in a detrimental manner. For example, such detrimental electromagnetic interaction may cause degradation in the signal-to-noise ratio, impedance and the like, such as cross talk and/or electromagnetic interference.
One conventional quad connector includes a tubular shell having a hollow core configured to receive a one-piece or two-piece dielectric material that hold contacts connected to conductors of the quad cable. The contacts, the dielectrics, and the shell, have keying features which interlock with one another such that the contacts resist longitudinal movement along the length of the dielectric, and to prevent movement of the dielectric within the connector shell.
In certain applications, ingress of moisture, contaminants, and corrosive elements into the shell can undesirably influence the operation and reliability of the connector. It is therefore desirable to provide a sealed connector for these applications. The keying features of the connectors, however, can be an impediment to the use of conventional sealing elements. Known sealing elements are generally ineffective because moisture, contaminants, and corrosive elements may enter the connector assembly through the keyways and circumvent the seals of the connector.
Connectors are known which are permanently sealed to prevent moisture, contaminants, and corrosive elements from reaching the internal contacts of the connector. Such connectors are disadvantaged, however, in that they are not serviceable for repair. It would be desirable to provide a sealed connector in which, for example, damaged contacts could be accessed and replaced to repair the connector, rather than replacing the entire connector assembly. Sealing a connector which is intended to be disassembled and reassembled in such a manner has proven challenging.